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Abstract

We present results of our observations on the formation of a silver nanoparticle-containing layer in glass over time. First, silver ions are driven into the glass by field-assisted ion exchange at 300 °C. A following annealing step at 550 °C resulted in the formation of silver nanoparticles (< 4 nm in diameter). This annealing was performed for five different durations (1h, 2h, 4h, 8h, 48h), and thin slices of the cross sections of the glasses have been prepared. The sequence of slices showed the growth of the nanoparticle-containing layer over time. Transmission spectra of the slices have been measured with a spatial resolution of 1.5 µm. Simulating spectra using the Maxwell-Garnett theory allowed us to determine the volume filling factor distribution of the nanoparticles across the layers. A first attempt to simulate the diffusion of silver is performed.

Fig. 2 Thin slices of the cross sections have been prepared from samples annealed for five different durations (1h, 2h, 4h, 8h, 48h). (a) Microscope images of the thin slices. The former glass surfaces are at the top of the image, while the lower parts of the image show the layers deeper inside the glass. For short annealing times the nanoparticles cause a dark yellow color close to the surface, which changes to brown at the inner end of the layer. For longer annealing times the color at the surface changes to light yellow, while it turns to a darker yellow for the inner regions. (b) Absorbance spectra of the five slices. The depth in the glass is assigned to the vertical axis, while the wavelength is assigned to the horizontal axes. The former glass surface is at the bottom end. Darker colors stand for stronger absorbance. One spectrum has been measured every 1.5 µm.

Fig. 3 Fitting parameters for the plasmon band profiles measured on the thin slices (solid lines). The filling factor profiles are shown in (a) and the particle radii in (b), both as a function of the depth in the glass. Only the low-concentration end is shown since the concentration was too high in most of the sample to determine it reliably. Dotted lines in (a) are the results of the diffusion simulation, with the profile for 1h diffusion being fit to the MGT profile for the 1h annealed sample.